TDI's are great cars until you have to work on them.

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2001 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins Turbo Diesel - 4x4, auto, 3.54 gears, long bed
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'92 300D 2.5 Turbodiesel - sold
'83 300D Turbodiesel - 4 speed manual/2.88 diff - sold
'87 300D Turbodiesel - sold
'82 300D Turbodiesel - sold

I dont quite get this. I think MB manuals have a horrible notchy feel to them. I'm on my second and it's almost pure guesswork sometimes where they shifts are. I've been driving manuals much of my life so my perspectives are probably somewhat different to most people in the states who seem most taken merely by the uniqueness of the thing compared to an auto.

- Peter.

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2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

i bet you need new bushings in your shifter and on the shift rods. while changing them lube the shaft on the shifter. if all is in good repair they shift like a knife through butter.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I agree.



I was pleasantly suprised by the first manual 240 I drove. It was underpowered for whatever reason, so it was a bit of a dog. Slower than our well worn auto 240. It probably had 45 hp or so. It's totally natural to drive and nearly impossible to stall. You just give it a bit of gas and the clutch engages perfectly. The shifter action is smooth and it's hard to make a bad shift because the drivetrain is so forgiving. It's got a very solid feel, even chirping the tires on downshifts didn't phase it.

I recently bought a 1995 325i, and figured the drivetrain would be fool proof. You need to be careful with each shift to avoid excessive clutch slip or excessive bucking. That thing is a road weapon though. Definatly gets you places faster than a 240, but it's not as relaxing and natural to drive.

240: The upshifts are easy to rev match, and I found myself driving smoothtly, despite my aggressive clutch work. Rev matching the downshifts may be a bit hard because of the pedal setup, but I don't have enough experience with the car to make a good judgement.

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1976 BMW 2002- 100k
1995 BMW 325i 175k
1984 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbo Diesel- 270,000 mi

1981 Mercedes Benz 240D- Estimated 300,000+ mi Returned to the earth

I have never drove a Mercedes 4 speed, but both my Isuzu, and Opel had awesome transmissions. I used my clutch to get into reverse and 1st only. The Isuzu, I was able to shift up to 5 and back down w/o the clutch. The Opel was identical, but had a 4 speed. Royal purple gear oil, and as long as your rolling, it could get into gear.

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1982 300DT *4-speed*// proper 617 donor for conversion // W126 big brakes // front wagon swaybar // european lights & bumpers // rear headrests // lumbar support // warning triangle // overdrive water pump pulley & 9 blade fan // Too many more to list Dark blue/ Palomino.

1983 300D euro no longer a 4 speed. . swap/parts carr

Keep in mind your gearbox isn't perfect at 380K miles

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1985 CA 300D Turbo , 213K mi

Sounds great.
I'm beginning to wonder if the old-style VN (I think?) rotary pump TDIs are better, like a 2003 or older. Seems parts for the Pümpe-Deuse would be expensive and harder to work on. But that's only a guess; I have nothing to back it up. The PDs are more powerful and supposedly get better MPG, plus I like the look of the 04-05 better than the 03 and older.

As for that 240D...my friend has kept it well-maintained (he has all records), the car shakes at idle like any 240D should but doesn't rattle, a tribute to 123 tank-like build quality. It shifts excellently, just like butter. It fires up quicker than my E300 does, just barely touch the key and it's going. The one thing keeping me from going and buying a 240D tomorrow is age: they're great cars, but in 27 years things have progressed....read: ABS, SRS, ESP...A/C

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99 E300 TD -- sold
01 540i 6 spd

hey it doesn't snow in california does it?

you don't need all that stuff!

on dry pavement the 240's brakes are excellent.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I learned on my dad's '66 Vette. You can almost dump the clutch at idle and not stall it. It was a good car for confidence building because it was nearly impossible to stall it, but it wasn't until I drove his then-new LeBaron GTS and its sloppy 5 speed that I really "learned" how to drive a standard.

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

My Dad tried to teach me to drive his '68 VW Beetle, but my inexperience and his temper didn't make for a good learning experience. A couple years later, after driver's ED in an automatic Plymouth Sattelite, getting my license, and ocasionally being allowed to drive my parents Chevelle, I finally learned to drive a stick in my first Benz - a $200 Ponton 180b, with a 4-speed on the column. For a column-shift, the one in that 180b was suprisingly solid and precise - much more so than some floorshifts I've experienced - including that awful rubbery shifter in Dad's VW!
Since then I've owned several manual-shift cars. The best shifters were in my '62 Hillman Super-Minx, and later my '67 Sunbeam Alpine - rock-solid, with no slop whatsoever. Compared to my Ponton, the column-shift in my current '60 Fintail is a bit more stiff and notchy, but not bad considering it's now 47 years old.
As for the 4-speed floorshift in my recently acquired '81 240D, it's not as solid as the ones in my Hillman and Sunbeam, but it's decent enough and shifts well if I take it easy, which is kind of what driving a 240D is all about.

Happy Motoring, Mark

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DrDKW

I know that. In fact I was able to commute to work today without once having a shift grind gears on me which was a nice surprise. I know at that age and mileage it's not going to be perfect and needs some work.

- Peter.

__________________
2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

Do you guys need separate tests to drive automatic and manual transmissions?

Over here, if you pass in an automatic vehicle, you're not allowed to drive a manual until you've taken another test. Drivers who take the test in a manual and pass are allowed to drive automatics with no further tuition.

I learnt to drive in a manual, the vast majority of cars in the UK are manual gearboxes.

When I took driver's ED in Virginia, back in the early '70s, most American cars were automatic. As far as I know, there's still no special license requirement here for manual or automatic transmission. In fact, there's usually no driving test at all to renew a license!

Happy Motoring, Mark

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DrDKW

in my 82 240 with 275k i found second gear synchros weak so i drained it and put in 15w40 rotella. end of grinding.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

bit u almost crapped ur self going through gears " those 240D's will lay u back if ur not careful"

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82' 300SD